By Social media is an essential part of our lives, and honestly, it’s been shoved upon our worlds with no instruction. The rules have been expanded, as the medium developed. However, as in any connection _ family, friendships and relationships; social media is about nurturing and sustaining relationships that we cultivate on the platform.
Therefore it should come as no surprise that there are boundaries, and rules to be followed. Just the way you don’t enjoy an unpleasant friend and prefer to walk away from toxic relationships, the same applies to social media. No one likes a rude account, brand or blogger. You will be unfollowed or blocked in a minute. Here are some Instagram mistakes you need to be aware of.
Instagram marketing mistakes you should avoid
If you are trying to promote your brand and build your credibility on Instagram, you have to avoid making the following Instagram mistakes:
1-Don’t be inconsistent or post sporadically
Once you created a content strategy and understand your brand tone and messaging inside out, the next step is to schedule your content. Define your goals and your target audience and create related, interesting content based on it. create a content calendar to ensure that you post frequently and in the right amount. Not too much, not too little and not too occasionally. This also helps you plan your creative tasks and leaves room to include a different range of content like posts, stories, contests and behind-the-scenes posts. There is also such a thing as too much posting. Define your audience and understand they have short attention spans. For instance, you shouldn’t post a sixty post long story. They will just swipe and skip it. It should be short, concise and engaging.
On the other hand, you can’t have too little or sparing content either. You shouldn’t make your posts ambiguous or have them pop up once a month or once a week. They should have the minimum information crafted most concisely.
2- Don’t use the same content on all social media platforms
You shouldn’t just cut, copy, paste the same content on all social media platforms because they have different audiences with different expectations and work much differently. Customization is the game you need to play. Your content should be crafted for each specific social media platform. Therefore, you should emphasize quality over quantity here.
For example:
- Hashtags are better for Instagram than Facebook.
- Formal types of content perform better on LinkedIn than Instagram.
- Video content works better on snap chat.
- Landscape pictures are better on Facebook. Vertical and square visuals are better to use on Instagram and Pinterest.
3- Don’t display sloppy spelling and grammar
Imagine this, you managed to come up with a great content strategy, you design perfect creative content, and you write the funniest captions, but you forget to proofread it. What your follower takes away is that you are sloppy, and one spelling mistake, grammatical error or poorly assembled caption is all it takes to destroy your first impression.
4- Do not ignore your followers
Not only is it challenging to create original content every day, but it is also a more individual experience just posting one’s own content. To grow your brand, curate content from other accounts that you find relevant and inspirational, also repost user-generated content. Make user-generated content a part of your Instagram strategy. It not only helps you fill up your content calendar, but it also brings high engagement to your community.
5- Don’t be a loner
Instagram is all about socialization. This is about your customer care. You have to be on your feet when it comes to engaging, thinking, and being creative with your audience.
Here’s what you should do:
- answer their questions
- thank your followers from time to time
- offer them valuable advice
- tag them on your user-generated content
- always be positive
- go out of your way and address their interests and concerns
For example, you can come up with a list of things your followers could do on holidays and post it to your stories. Show your community and your audience that they are noticed and that you care about them.
6- Don’t be a dinosaur!
You shouldn’t be known as the old fuzzy-Duddy company on Instagram. Instagram is a platform that lets you experiment! Take the risk and get creative with the new features. Try to be bold and experiment with live videos, stories, poll stickers, and other new features. Your followers want you to be a creative and relevant brand.
7- Why so serious? Just cool down!
One of the worst Instagram marketing mistakes is to be very serious. Just try to have more fun! Instagram is light, fun, casual and entertaining. If there is one platform that your light side can shine, this is it! So embrace that ability and have fun with your brand, your content, and your audience!! Just be yourself and keep everything casual!
What do you think?
Now that you know about the things Instagram hate about you, and all the Instagram mistakes you should avoid do you believe you can handle it?
